Closure latch



Sept. 27, 19 60 A. .1. CARPENTER CLOSURE LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 8, 1958 INVEN TO'R. @zz% /z cfgoa/vfzz B Y ATTORNEY Sept. 27, 1960 A. J. CARPENTER CLOSURE LATCH Filed Aug. 8. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. wz/zcfgaay 2 BY A TTOQ/VEY CLOSURE LATCH Arthur J. Carpenter, Royal 'Oak, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. s, 1958, Ser. No. 754,051

Claims. Cl. 292-410 This invention relates to closure latches and more particularly to vehicle closure latches.

The closure latch of this invention, in its preferred embodiment, generally includes a pivotal and slidable latch bolt and toggle linkage type operating means normally holding the bolt in a latched position and being operable to pivotally and slidably move the bolt to an unlatched position out of engagement with the striker to allow the closure to be moved to an open position. Upon movement of the closure to an open position, the latch bolt is returned to latched position. Upon movement of the closure to closed position, the initial engagement of the latch bolt with the striker moves the latch bolt to unlatched position. The operating means permits this movement of the latch bolt to unlatched position and thereafter automatically returns the latch bolt to latched position in full engagement with the striker, whereby the closure latch of this invention is of the self-latching type.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved closure latch. Another object of this invention is toprovide an improved closure latch of the type including a pivotal and slidable latch bolt and toggle type operating means. A further object of this invention is to provide an improved self-latching closure latch. Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved self-latching vehicle closure latch which includes a pivotal and slidable latch bolt and operating means for moving the latch bolt to latched and unlatched positions and permitting the latch bolt to be moved from a latched to an unlatched position upon partial engagement of the latch bolt with the striker and thereafter automatically returning the latch bolt to fully latched position in engagement with the striker.

These and other objects of this invention will be readily apparent from the. following specification and drawings, wherein:

Patented Sept. 27, 1960 ice the stud 28 and an intermediate portion thereof pivotally receiving a stud 38 which is fixed to one end of a link 40, the other end of which is pivoted at 42 to the free end of the latch bolt 34. Preferably a portion 44 of the link 36 is cut away so that link 36 may overlap link 40 and link 40 may fit between the latch bolt 34 and the link 36 and in alignment with link 36 when the latch bolt is in latched position as shown in Figure l of the drawings. Links 36 and 40 provide a toggle linkage for both pivotally and slidably moving bolt 34 relative to stud 28, as will be hereinafter described. Link 36 is further provided with a lateral apertured ear 46, and a tension spring 48 has one end thereof hooked to the ear 46 and the other end thereof hooked'to an anchor bracket 50 secured to the wall 12. The tension spring 48 biases the link 36 counterclockwise about the stud 28 as viewed in Figures 2 and 4 of the drawings, to bias stud 38 into alignment with stud 28 and pivot 42 whereby link 40 moves the outer end 51 of slot '32 of the latch bolt into engagement with flange 30 of stud 28 to bias bolt 34 to latched position. I This movement of link 36 is limited by a stud 52 fixed to the leg 26 of bracket 22 and engaging one side of'bolt 34 to ensure that pivot 42 and studs 28 and 38 remain in aligned position. Thus in the latched position of bolt '34, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the position of the latch bolt is fixed by both the stud 52 and the engagement of'fiange 30 with the end 51 of slot 32. A suitable operating member, such as a cable 54, may be fixed to the stud 38 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1, 3 and 5 of the drawings, the closure 14 includes joined inner and outer panels 56 and 58, respectively. A generally vertically extending reinforcing channel member 60 is secured to the Figure l is a partial-view of a closure and support embodying a closure latch according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a view taken along the plane indicated generally by line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the plan indicated generally by line"33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 and showing the latch in an unlatched position; and

Figure 5 is a view taken along the plan indicated generally by line 5-5 of Figure 3. Referring now particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings, a rear deck portion 18 of a vehicle body includes a generally vertically extending transverse wall 12 which swingably mounts a closure 14 by means of a suitable hinge 16 secured both to the wall 12 and to the closure 14. A generally vertically extending reinforcing channel member 18 is anchored to the inner surface of wall 12 and is provided with a transverse slot 20 which is aligned with a similar slot 21 in wall 12 as can be seen particularly in Figures 2 and 4 ofthe drawings. An angle bracket 22 is bolted at 24 to the base of channel 18 and wall 12, and the free leg 26 of the bracket extends generally normal inner surface of wall 56 and is provided with a transverse slot 62 which is slightly larger in size than a like slot 64 provided in wall 56. An escutcheon member 66 is secured to the outer surface of wall 56 and provided with a flanged aperture 68 which is aligned with the slot '62 of member 60. A generally U-shaped striker member 70 is secured at 72 to the base of member 60, with the vertically disposed leg of the striker member having a tapered latch bolt engaging surface 74. The latch bolt 34 is provided with a hooked end 76 having an edge 78 adapted to engage the surface 74 in surface to surface contact therewith when the bolt is in latched position, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, to thereby hold the closure 14 in a closed position with respect to the body deck por- The latch bolt 34 is shown in latched position in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, and it will be noted that in this position the flange 30 of stud 28 engages the outer end 5:1 of slot 32, the pivot 42 is in alignment with studs 28 and 38, and the spring 48 biases the link 36 in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot 28 to hold the latch bolt in engagement with the stud 52. Assuming now that it is desired to unlatch the closure 14 from the body portion 10, the operator will pull the cable 54 to thereby swing the link 36 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 2 and 4, about the stud 28 and against the action of the spring 48. As the link 36 swings in this direction, the link 40 will swing counterclockwise with respect to the link 36 about pivot 38 to thereby shift the latch bolt 34 outwardly of body portion 10 as the slot 32 of the latch bolt moves relative to the flange 30 of stud 28 and at the same time swing the latch bolt clockwise about the flange 30 to thereby move the edge 78 of the hooked end 76 outwardly and away from the surface 74 of the striker and thereby unlatch the closure 14 from the body portion 19. This movement of the latch bolt 34 is limited by engagement of the flange 30 with the inner end of slot 32, since folding movement of the link 36 and the link 40 is limited by the distance between the stud 28 and the pivot 4-2. Once the closure member has been moved to an open position, the operating cable 54 is released and the spring 48 will thereafter return the latch bolt 34 to its latched position, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, except, of course, that the hooked end 76 of the latch bolt will not be in engagement with the striker 76.

As previously mentioned, the closure latch of this invention is self-latching and this will now be described. Upon movement of the closure 14 towards a closed position, a cam edge 8% of the hooked end 76 of the latch bolt will engage one side of aperture 68 of the escutcheon member to thereby cam the latch bolt to its unlatched position as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings as the cam surface 8%) slides relative to this one side of the aperture and the links 36 and 40 are moved to their partially folded position against the action of the spring 48. Once the cam edge fit) of the hooked end has moved out of engagement with the one side of aperture 68, the edge 78 of hooked end 76 will be instantaneously moved into engagement with the surface 74 of striker 7G by spring 48 to thereby latch the closure 14 to the body portion 10.

Although the closure latch has been shown as being movable in a generally horizontally disposed plane, it will be understood, of course, that the closure latch will work equally as well if disposed so as to be movable in a vertically disposed plane, and it will be further understood, of course, that although a cable 54 is shown for moving the latch bolt 34 to an unlatched position, other suitable operating means, either manual or power, such as a link, etc., may be secured to the stud '38 to work equally as well in moving the latch bolt to an unlatched position.

It should further be noted that the positions of the spring 48 and the cable 54 may be interchanged in certain installations whereby the spring 48 will extend between the bracket 54 and the stud 38, and the cable 54 will be attached to the ear 46. An arrangement such as this will operate with less elfort than the arrangement shown in the drawings, since the spring will work against a shorter lever arm and the cable Will work against a longer lever arm than as in the arrangement shown in the drawings.

Thus this invention provides an improved vehicle closure latch of the self-latching type.

I claim:

1. A closure latch comprising, a latch support, fixed pivot means on said support, a latch bolt having a closed slot intermediate the ends thereof pivotally and slidably receiving said fixed pivot means to thereby pivotally and slidably mount said bolt on said support for movement between latched and unlatched positions, and foldable linkage means including a pair of pivotally interconnected links, one end of one of said links being pivotally secured to said fixed pivot means and one end of the other of said links being pivotally secured to said latch bolt, said linkage means being in compression between its pivoted ends in the latched position of said bolt to locate the pivotal joint thereof intermediate said fixed pivot means and the pivotal connection of said other link to said latch bolt and to hold one end of said slot in tight engagement with said fixed pivot means.

2. A closure latch comprising, a latch support, fixed pivot means on said support, a latch bolt having a closed slot intermediate the ends thereof pivotally and slidably receiving said fixed pivot means to thereby pivotally and slidably mount said bolt on said support for movement between latched and unlatched positions, foldable linkage means including a pair of pivotally interconnected links, one end of one of said links being pivotally secured to said fixed pivot means and one end of the other of said links being pivotally secured to said latch bolt, said linkage means being in compression between its pivoted ends in the latched position of said bolt to locate the pivotal joint thereof intermediate said fixed pivot means and the pivotal connection of said other link to said latch bolt and to hold one end of said slot in tight engagement with said fixed pivot means, and operating means secured to said linkage for folding said linkage to pivotally and slidably move said latch bolt to an unlatched position wherein the other end of said slot is in engagement with said fixed pivot means to thereby locate said latch bolt in said unlatched position.

3. A closure latch comprising, a latch support, fixed pivot means on said support, a latch bolt including a slot intermediate the ends thereof pivotally and slidably receiving said fixed pivot means to pivotally and slidably mount said bolt on said support for movement between latched and unlatched positions, a toggle linkage including a pair of pivotally interconnected links, one end of one of said links being pivotally mounted on said fixed pivot means and one end of the other of said links being pivotally secured to said latch bolt remote from said slot whereby the pivotal joint of said toggle linkage is located intermediate and in alignment with said fixed pivot means and with said pivotal connection of said other link to said latch bolt to place said linkage in compression in the latched position of said bolt, said toggle linkage being movable to a folded position to thereby pivot and shift said bolt to an unlatched position relative to said fixed pivot means, and operating means secured to the pivotal joint of said toggle linkage for moving said toggle linkage to said folded position.

4. A closure latch comprising, a latch support, fixed pivot means on said support, a latch bolt including a slot intermediate the ends thereof pivotally and slidably receiving said fixed pivot means to pivotally and slidably mount said latch bolt on said support for movement between latched and unlatched positions, a foldable toggle linkage including a pair of pivotally interconnected links, one end of one of said links being pivotally secured to said fixed pivot means and one end of the other of said links being pivotally secured to said latch bolt adjacent one end thereof whereby the pivotal joint of said toggle linkage is disposed intermediate and in alignment with said fixed pivot means and the pivotal connection of said other link to said latch bolt to place said linkage in compression in the latched position of said bolt, means connected to said one link adjacent the other end thereof for moving said one link in one direction about said fixed pivot means to move said pivotal joint to said aligned position thereof, and means on said support limiting movement of said one link in said one direction to maintain said pivotal joint in said aligned position thereof.

5. A closure latch for latching a support member to a closure member comprising, in combination, a latch support secured to one of said members, fixed pivot means on said latch support, a latch bolt pivotally and slidably mounted on said fixed pivot means for movement to latched and unlatched positions, a foldable linkage including a pair of pivotally interconnected links, one end of one of said links being pivotally mounted on said fixed pivot means and one end of the other of said links being pivotally secured to said latch bolt adjacent one end thereof whereby the pivotal joint of said foldable linkage is located intermediate and in alignment with said fixed pivot means and said pivotal connection between said other link and said bolt to place said linkage in compression in the latched position of said bolt, means biasing said one link in one direction relative to said fixed pivot means to move said pivotal joint to said aligned position thereof to move said bolt to latched position, stop means limiting swinging movement of said one link in said one direction to maintain said pivotal joint in said aligned position, and abutment means on said other of said members engageable by said bolt when in latched position upon movement of said closure membet to closed position to move said bolt to said unlatched 5 position and swing said one link in a direction opposite said one direction to move said pivotal joint out of said 836,810 aligned position, said biasing means moving said one link 917,969 in said one direction upon disengagement of said bolt and 2,017,564

abutment means to thereby move said pivotal joint to said 10 2,186,795

aligned position thereof and return said latch bolt to latched position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kapus Nov. 27, 1906 Shinn Apr. 13, 1909 Claud-Mantle Oct. 15, 1935 Anderson Jan. 9, 1940 

